hey guys, i'm new here! my name is Karl and i have been playing guitar for 14 years now!
Ive always done standard setups on all my guitars (neck adjustment, string height, inotation) but never anything more complex like re-fretting, etc.
I'm currently having an issue with my PRS custom 24...
PRS recommends the following when setting up there guitars, .010'' of relief, and 4/64th string height at the 12th fret.
I choose to set it pretty much the same however with a little less relief in the neck, around .080 to .090 of relief. String height at the 12th fret is right on at 4/64th and the guitar plays perfect, but i get string buzz on the "A" string from around the 5th fret on! I just cant figure out the issue for the life of me so I'm turning to you guys!? Also a few years back I had a new nut put on the guitar since I changed string gauge since I play larger diameter .10 through .46 strings than what came on the guitar. I checked the height of all the strings at the 1st fret while holding down the string on the 3rd fret and its perfect at .050 at every string.
The only other thing I can think of is a high fret but only one string effected? Or dial in less relief in the neck? I'm a pretty aggressive player so I would like to try and avoid that if possible.
Thanks in advanced and I look forward to contributing as much as I can to the forum in the future :D
You're remarkably specific and I had to read your post 10 times, it was so good; also to see what the problem is, with all the specs looking fine.
Sight down the neck and I think you'll find that you indeed have got it too straight, with not enough bow. A slight bow will work, as long as the dip, or "positive bow" is there, to the eye. Straight necks look good, but we can't usually get away with that.
I know that you don't want more relief, but you may have to loosen the truss rod just a bit. If that doesn't seem fair, because you're getting away with satisfactory action on the other 5 strings, you can cheat, and raise the saddle only for the A.
There must be a little extra height in a fret somewhere, and it might be between the 5th and the 12th, quite precisely. We seldom see this with the eye. Playing above the 12th, or fretting in the upper register will tell you if the collision with a fret is higher than the 12th.
I am considering that while you have large frets, you have a fairly flat radius too, so bending shouldn't choke if everything is where it should be. So, I would also suggest you consider pickup height now, and magnetic string pull as a possibility, since you've lowered clearances in general.
Refer here too, looking at the member's comments, and the pic, if applicable. http://forums.guitarnoise.com/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=47118&start=15
Like a bird on the wire,
like a drunk in a midnight choir
I have tried in my way to be free.
Thanks for helping out!
In the past few days I actually straightened out my neck to around .005 of relief and then a few days later brought it all the way back to around .011 relief, neither straighting or adding more relief helped.
I did also play with adjusting string height on the "A" saddle to see if that solved anything and it did not. I took it all the way up to 5/64th and I was still getting some buzz.
I have not really checked for any high frets but I can tell you that my frets are starting to plateau out a bit and get worn down. I have not associated this with my string buzz since I'm only getting buzz really on that 1 string. Should I maybe consider having my frets looked at for replacement or re-crowing?
On a side question, am I maybe just being to anal about this whole thing? Is it normal to have a little string buzz on an electric guitar? Im not sure but I may just break down and take it to my luthier.
It goes with the territory, if you choose really low action. Is it normal? Well, it can happen with light and very flexible or slinky strings. Often, slap on 10's and your buzz is gone. :shock: Usually a PRS doesn't have problems, unless there is something unusual in temperature or humidity. I'm really sorry that the A wasn't fixable on its own, with a higher saddle. It may not be a mystery if we could see the guitar. You may have flattened frets in a certain area or range, and still have newer, higher, unworn frets further up? http://www.prsguitars.com/csc/care.html
You could visit a reputable Luthier for a dressing or re-crowning as you say, and fret leveling.
Like a bird on the wire,
like a drunk in a midnight choir
I have tried in my way to be free.
